Archives for April 2011

Not Your Grandma’s Ham & Pasta Salad

April 27, 2011 By Anne Simpson

Still have a little bit of leftover ham? Or perhaps you froze the leftovers to use another day? In any case, you might want to consider bookmarking this recipe: ham and pasta salad taken to a whole new level.

I’m sure you’ve all had that quintessential Easter leftover dish made of macaroni, ham, peas, and Ranch or mayo-based creamy dressing. It’s not bad, but… it does get a little old. Plus, it’s a no-go if you’re trying to stay away from dairy and eggs like me.

I tried in vain last night to find a ham and pasta salad recipe that did not feature the seemingly ubiquitous mayo or otherwise creamy salad dressing. Then I switched gears and tried to find a vinaigrette version. Fail. Then I looked through my own recipes that I’ve used for other types of pasta salads (chicken, tuna, etc.) and once again none of them seemed to be quite what I needed.

So I made up my own, which is always dangerous. Because ham and some pork products just seem to go so well with certain sweet fruits, and since I had some fruit readily available to me, I decided to go that route. I also serendipitously had a bottle of blackberry balsamic vinegar, which doesn’t happen every day, believe me.

Since I kind of made it on the fly, not really expecting it to be 100% successful, I don’t have a specific recipe for you. I’ll tell you what I used, though, and the measurements as much as I can so that you can recreate your own version with what you have at home.

If you’re ready for a different take on ham and pasta salad, here you go!

I started with half a box of Barilla Plus farfalle noodles, cooked according to package directions. While the noodles were cooking I chopped up some cold ham, probably about 1 cup of diced ham, which I placed in the bottom of a large bowl. To that I added half of a chopped mango. Later on, to my portion I added strawberries and kiwi, which my DH doesn’t eat. To add them to the salad in its entirety, I’d suggest about 1/2 cup chopped strawberries, and 1 chopped kiwi. Add more if you want! In a separate small bowl, I whisked together about 2 TBSP of blackberry balsamic vinegar with approximately 4 TBSP olive oil, plus some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. You’ll probably want to use about 3 TBSP of flavored balsamic vinegar with 6 TBSP olive oil, and don’t be shy about the salt and pepper. The salt is needed to balance out all the sweetness of the fruit. Drain and rinse the noodles and add them to the large bowl. Stir everything together, then drizzle with the vinaigrette. Stir again until it is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top with freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

You can do what you want with this recipe. Try different noodles, either different shapes, or different flavors (I made a rice-noodle version for my Certain Little Someone). Try different fruits, like peaches, nectarines, plums or apples. Grapes would be lovely, too! A plain balsamic vinegar should work well if you don’t have any flavored, but you may want to add just a touch of sugar.

This is a very QUICK weeknight recipe. In the summer, I love to whip up pasta salads for busy weeknight dinners. A big plus is that they make a lot of extra, so you can have leftovers or invite friends over.

Pasta salads are very EASY, too. Most people can boil a pot of noodles! And… it can be a one-bowl dinner too!

Another reason I serve pasta salads weekly is because they save money on meat. I use leftover or canned meat (mainly tuna) to save money in my grocery budget, which makes it a great CHEAP choice.

I happen to think this is a very HEALTHY version of pasta salad, because of the noodles made with fiber- and protein- rich ingredients, as well as all the fruits.

2 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, In The Budget, Lunch, On The Table, Waste Not Tagged With: ham, pasta salad

Use up your Easter Ham: Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-ups

April 26, 2011 By Anne Simpson

Before we get to the leftovers, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve got something else cooking up for the month of May… stay tuned and come back next week to find out what’s going on around here!

I actually made these a week or two ago, well before I had any Easter ham, and I used deli ham instead. If you don’t happen to have Easter ham, you can do the same, just be sure to use a brand that’s free of nitrates, nitrites, preservatives and flavorings (the most widely available is Hormel Natural Choice).

But if you do have Easter ham coming out of your ears, here’s a creative use of the leftovers: Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-ups. Of course, it also requires some chicken leftovers; but if you don’t happen to have those just cook up a chicken breast and you’re all set. Alternatively, you could also use some deli chicken meat as well (following the same guidelines above), but real cooked chicken adds a lot of flavor and texture.

I know I talk about Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day a lot, but for good reason: when I have a batch of dough in the fridge, it is so easy to whip up meals like this on a moment’s notice. It’s really quite amazing the different things you can make with a batch of basic bread dough!

If you don’t have artisan bread dough in the fridge, well, you should. But if you still don’t, you can use any basic bread dough recipe or even a batch of pizza dough (like the kind sold at Trader Joe’s).

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-ups

1 lb bread, pizza, or crescent roll dough

10 slices ham

1 cup chicken pieces

3-4 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut in pieces (or sliced mozzarella)

1 TBSP butter, melted, optional

1 TBSP garlic salt, optional

Roll out your dough into a large circle, and cut it into 8-10 triangles using a pizza cutter.

On each triangle, layer a slice of ham, some chicken and the cheese.

Roll up, starting at the wide end. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired.

Place on a baking stone or other pan and bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes, or until bread is golden brown on top and solid on the bottom.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-ups

1 lb bread, pizza, or crescent roll dough

10 slices ham

1 cup chicken pieces

3-4 mozzarella cheese sticks, cut in pieces (or sliced mozzarella)

1 TBSP butter, melted, optional

1 TBSP garlic salt, optional

Roll out your dough into a large circle, and cut it into 8-10 triangles using a pizza cutter. On each triangle, layer a slice of ham, some chicken and the cheese. Roll up, starting at the wide end. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt, if desired. Place on a baking stone or other pan and bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes, or until bread is golden brown on top and solid on the bottom.

You can also use different cheese: I tried some with goat cheese, and it was delicious. Provolone would be nice, too, or maybe Swiss.

a spoonful of goat cheese

If you’ve got leftovers and the dough handy, this is very QUICK. It always pays to keep cooked chicken handy in the freezer, because you can do so much with it! Ditto for the bread dough, but we’ve already covered that, so I’ll give it a rest.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-ups are EASY-er than regular old Chicken Cordon Bleu. Easier to make, and easier to eat!

This is a good CHEAP use for that leftover ham you got on sale for $0.99/lb! Especially if you use leftover chicken, too.

For optimum HEALTHY-ness, do use meats that are free of nitrates and nitrites, preservatives and flavors. Keep it simple! Also, if you notice the white flecks in my bread dough pictured above, that’s quinoa, which I added to the bread dough. It gave a little extra crunch for texture, as well as some additional, but unobtrusive flavor. The bread dough is mostly whole-grain, which significantly adds to the health factor.

Hearth and Soul Hop at the 21st Century Housewife Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays

5 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, In The Budget, On The Table, Waste Not Tagged With: artisan bread, ham

Fit for a Princess: a British-Inspired Menu

April 25, 2011 By Anne Simpson

It seems the world is all a-twitter (and a-Twitter!) over the upcoming royal nuptials, and I can’t say as I blame anybody. Being the product of the eighties that I am, I was one of those star-struck girls who could pore over picture books of Princess Di for hours. When she died, I seriously thought it was some kind of terrible hoax the first few hours, until it became painfully clear that it was true and definitely no hoax.

If I were Kate, I’d be more than a little scared (terrified?), stepping into those shoes and following that tragic history, so… Here’s to a better life for her and her prince! If you are joining the millions of non-Brits celebrating The Royal Wedding, here are a few Brit-inspired foods you may want to try:

English Toffee

Honey Whole Wheat English Muffins

English Roast Potatoes

Lavender's Blue Dilly Dilly Carrots

Lemon Ginger Tea Cake

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Mulled Cider

Chocolate Orange Coffee (inspired by Terry's Chocolate Orange)

Gingersnaps

1 Comment Filed Under: Celebrations, Home, On The Table Tagged With: entertaining

Grocery Shopping with $20, and, Grocery Shopping at a Local Organic Market

April 24, 2011 By Anne Simpson

What can you buy for $20? Turns out a lot.

After my big monthly grocery shopping trip last week, I had $60 left in the month’s budget, or $20 for each remaining week in the month. This money goes toward produce (which doesn’t last all month), any food needs that arise, and any too-good-to-miss loss leader sales at the grocery stores.

I extended that amount a bit by purchasing a $30 voucher to one of my local organic markets for only $15 at Double Take Deals (This is a referral link - if you subscribe through this link, you will get $5 towards the purchase of your second deal… and so will I!). David’s Natural Market is a local fixture, having been around as long as the town itself I think. It was the first and only natural market here in town until the past couple years, and as such, has developed a lasting reputation as the place for local organic healthy food.

Unfortunately, even though it’s in the same town I am, it’s still out of the way for me. It’s just not near any other grocery stores, other stores, or even people or places that I visit. The “Double Take Deal” made it totally worth it for me, so I made a trip out there today and here’s what I got:

David’s Natural Market

1 bag Arrowhead Mills puffed brown rice 15% off $1.86

1 ginger root %15 off $0.48

1 box Tapioca Starch $2.99

1 box Potato Starch $3.39

1 box Rice Dream 15% off, $1 coupon $2. 39

1 So Delicious Coconut Milk $1 coupon $2.99

1 16oz jar Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil $1 coupon $8.89

1 So Delicious coconut milk creamer 10% off $2.69

1 jar Maranatha Sun Butter 15% off, $1 coupon, $3.67

1 container Spectrum Organic Palm Shortening -sale- $5.39 (the best price I’ve seen anywhere!)

Bulk thyme and spearmint - $0.38 ea.

TOTAL: $35

minus the $30 voucher= $15!

That left me with $15 to spend on the great deals to be found at Safeway (I could not let Easter pass me by without getting a ham!) which is where I headed next.

Safeway

9.68 lb Ham $0.99/lb $9.58

2 24oz jars Mt Olive Pickles BOGO + doubled $0.50 coupons $1.00

2 McCormick GrillMates 10/10 + $1 coupon $1.00

2 boxes strawberries BOGO = $3.99

7 bananas (actually from Target at $0.24/pc) $1.68

TOTAL: $17.25

As you can see, I went over budget by $2.25, so if I want to stay in budget for the whole month, I need to account for that over the next two weeks.

I am trying to be more informative with these shopping posts, as I have received questions from people wanting to know more specific information about my shopping trips. Please, if you have more questions, feel free to ask. And if there’s too much detail, just skip over the non-pertinent information!

One complaint I often hear from healthy-eating non-couponers is that there are no healthy food coupons. That may be true if you are a homesteading traditional foodie (and good for you! Wish I could do that, maybe someday!), but as you can see, I was able to get a better price on things like coconut oil and sun butter with coupons. And while I believe that canning your own pickles is healthier, I ran out of my own stash, and I am thankful that coupons enable me to stock back up until the summer. There are definitely coupons for healthy, staple ingredients, which you can find on a regular basis if you keep your eyes open for them.

2 Comments Filed Under: In The Budget, Spend Wisely Tagged With: oams

Guest Post: Tips for Feeding Picky Eaters

April 22, 2011 By Anne Simpson

I’m so excited to share with you today a guest post from Megan of Food and Whine, with her tips for feeding picky children. I love her ideas and am definitely going to start instituting the one-bite rule with my Certain Little Someone who has begun to assert his independence in the area of food! The muffin tin is another fabulous idea I will have to try. And when you’re done reading her tips here, go check out my guest post, Making the Most of It (how to use every last bit of your citrus fruit) at her blog today!

As you can probably guess from the title of my blog (Food and Whine), I’ve dealt with my fair share of whining from my children over the food I serve. Fortunately, I’ve discovered some helpful tips along the way for encouraging children to eat healthy foods.

Dips

One thing I’ve learned is that my kids will eat just about anything if there’s dip involved. Hummus is a great healthy choice, because chickpeas are an excellent source of protein and fibre. Try serving it with whole grain pitas and veggies. Another dip I like to make for vegetables is a simple combination of light sour cream, light mayonnaise, and a shake or two of Mrs. Dash seasoning. For dipping fruit, I like to use yogurt. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy; any kind of flavoured yogurt will do the trick for a quick snack when served with fruit. My older son has even dipped vegetables in his yogurt, which I think is a little strange, but if it gets him to eat vegetables then I’m all for it!

Sips

Never underestimate the power of smoothies. They’re fun for kids to drink, and you can hide all sorts of healthy things in them so that they become pretty much a meal in themselves. Typically I make them with yogurt, some variety of fruit, milk, flax seed, protein powder, and spinach. Yes, I said spinach. You really can’t taste it or even see it if you’re using a brightly coloured fruit. Serve it with a funny straw, in a sippy-cup, or even in a shooter glass.

Involve your Kids

Kids like to have control over what they eat. When we place dinner in front of them without giving them a say about it, it’s no wonder they often reject it. There are plenty of opportunities to involve your children in every aspect of meal-time from menu planning, to food preparation, to serving the meal.

I started asking my older son to help me select meals when preparing our weekly menu plan. I set out cookbooks with photos and he flips through them and picks out what looks appealing to him. I still choose some of the meals of course- otherwise we’d probably eat pancakes or pasta every night- but I make sure to include some of his choices as well.

When I’m preparing food, I like to get my kids to help when they can. Pizza is probably our favourite thing to make together. My boys love rolling out the dough, spreading on the sauce, and adding on all the toppings (while sneaking a bite now and then!). Sure, the pizza might not look perfect, but the kids will most often eat it because they helped make it.

When it’s time to serve a meal, sometimes it helps to allow your children to pick what goes on their plate. Obviously this won’t always be practical, since they may decide to fill their entire plate with one thing instead of selecting a balanced meal, but in some cases it can work well. For instance, at lunch-time I often take a muffin tin and fill each cup with different things, like baby carrots, grapes, crackers, cheese, etc. I put the muffin tin in the middle of the table and let them choose what they want. If you offer a variety of healthy choices, then hopefully they’ll find at least some nutritious foods that they like to eat.

Appearance

When it comes to kids’ food, appearance is everything. It can be the tastiest food imaginable but if it doesn’t look appealing to your child, then it doesn’t stand a chance. In attempts to get my kids to at least try the food I make for them, I’ll often resort to decorating it or arranging it in some fun way. You could make a funny face with vegetables on top of a tuna melt, or use cookie cutters to cut food into fun shapes, or make pancakes in the shape of letters to spell your child’s name. Get creative!

One-Bite Rule

I’ve tried many (oh so many) tactics for getting my kids to eat their dinner, but the one that works best for us is the ‘one-bite rule.’ Basically this means that everyone must try a least one bite of every kind of food on their plate. If they like it, then I encourage them to eat more of that food. If they don’t like it, then I don’t force them to eat any more of it. I do, however, like them to sit at the table while the rest of the family finishes eating and join in the conversation. If they refuse to try at least a bite of food, then I don’t force it, but I don’t offer them anything else either. I just put their food in the fridge and if they ask for something to eat later I’ll offer to reheat their dinner for them. I’ve found it best not to make dinner a power-struggle, because kids can be stubborn and will dig their heels in if you try to force something on them.

Even with all of these tips you will find that sometimes your kids just won’t eat, and that’s okay. Children often go through phases where they won’t eat much at all for days, weeks, or even months at a time. The best thing you can do is not to stress about it. All you can do is keep offering healthy foods again and again. They’ve got to eat eventually, right?

Megan writes Food and Whine, a blog that shares her adventures making healthy and tasty food to please her whole family. Megan lives in the suburbs of Vancouver Canada with her husband and two young sons.

1 Comment Filed Under: At Home, Children

Better than the Box: Gingersnaps!

April 21, 2011 By Anne Simpson

Bad camera + bad photographer = terrible pictures.

*sigh*

I took 64 pictures of these stupid gingersnaps in the mid-afternoon when the lighting was perfect, and this is all I got.

*sigh*

I wish I had a better camera and some lighting equipment. But as my mother would say, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” I don’t know exactly what that means, except that we don’t always get what we wish for. Oh, and another appropriate favorite saying of hers, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” Yup, definitely applicable.

So, even if they don’t look all that great in the pics, take my word for it that these gingersnaps are just as good as any you’ll buy at the grocery store. And I should know - we love gingersnaps around here, ginger being a favorite flavor of every member of the family, so we’ve tried a few. I can highly recommend Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Snaps, which also have candied ginger in them… mmmmm! I’d have added candied ginger to these, but I don’t have any on hand. Next time!

I don’t know why, but despite our love for all things ginger, I have never once attempted to make gingersnaps until recently. I’ve made gingerbread bears for Christmas many years in a row, and I’ve even made soft ginger cookies, but never gingersnaps. I guess I figured they were easier to buy, so we only ate them on a rare occasion.

Once I tried it, though, we were hooked. I’ve made 2 batches in as many weeks, and we’ve eaten them like they’re going out of style. It might seem strange to talk about gingersnaps - a Christmas-y kind of treat - at Easter time, but perhaps you’ll change your mind when I tell you that they go oh-so-fabulously with my Coconut Lime Mousse. In fact, that is how I’m going to serve the mousse: in a teacup with a little gingersnap for decoration.

Won’t that just be so cute?!

There’s a lot to love about these little babies - their taste, the fact that they’re so easy to make, and their cute little size - but one of my favorite things is that they are naturally dairy-free and egg-free, and are easily made gluten-free. That means a delicious little snack my entire family can enjoy, which is a huge victory around here!

Gingersnaps

adapted from my vintage Fannie Farmer cookbook

1/3 cup molasses

3 TBSP palm shortening

1 cup + 2 TBSP whole wheat flour (OR 1 cup brown rice flour + 2 TBSP tapioca starch)

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger

dash ground cloves

Ginger Sugar (optional):

-1/3 cup raw sugar

-1/2 tsp ginger

Bring the molasses just to the boiling point in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the shortening until it melts. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Use a melon baller to scoop out the dough, and form it in a ball with the palms of your hands. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and ginger. If desired, roll each ball in the sugar until it is covered. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for about 8 minutes. Immediately remove cookies from pan to cool on a wire rack.

From start to finish, the entire batch takes half an hour or less, so I’d say it’s a pretty QUICK cookie recipe.

And all in one pot: can we say EASY?!

No eggs, no dairy not only means allergy-friendly, but CHEAP! Granted, the good shortening is very expensive, but this recipe uses less than a 1/4 cup.

I love that it uses little to no sugar, which makes it a HEALTHY-er cookie option. Molasses is still a sweetener and so should still be used sparingly, but it does offer nutrients, like iron, which you cannot find in even the best kind of cane sugar. I also love that whole grains - like brown rice, and whole wheat flour - go so well in this recipe. And you can totally omit the sugar, if you prefer - I just think it looks pretty - they taste just fine without it. Mind you, it’s essential to use organic palm oil shortening - none of that yucky vegetable Crisco stuff.

Berk's Girl: Sweets, Eats & Life's Treats

5 Comments Filed Under: Dessert, On The Table, Snacks Tagged With: better than the box, cookies, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free

Coconut Lime Mousse, aka “Heaven in a Cup”

April 19, 2011 By Anne Simpson

I spend a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen and tinkering with recipes, and I have to say that 90% of the time, my tinkering turns out okay. Just okay, though. Usually nothing fabulous, usually nothing to write home about, usually nothing to blog about.

Then, 9.9% of the time, it’s a total failure that has to be dumped in the trash, never to be spoken of, at home, on the blog, or anywhere.

That remaining .1%? It happened yesterday. That one moment, when I took the tinkering to extreme levels, crossed my fingers, squeezed my eyes shut real tight… and. Wow. Perfection. Deliciousness. Amazing yumminess.

It all started with a recipe I clipped from a Giant Food magazine (that I only grabbed because it had a few coupons… cheapskate me!). The gorgeous picture that went with the recipe kept enticing me, but I was put off by the ingredients, like fat-free milk, reduced-fat whipped topping and yellow food coloring. For one thing, I don’t do fat-free; for another, I’m not consuming dairy at the moment to see if it helps Baby Boy’s eczema. For another… food coloring? Really? Is that necessary?

I couldn’t resist the draw of the picture, though, so I determined to see if I could make it with coconut milk products instead of the dairy. I also chucked the whole concept of food coloring, and used limes instead of the lemons called for, simply because I had picked up a whole bunch of reduced limes at Harris Teeter over the weekend.

And so… Coconut Lime Mousse was born!

To replace the whipped topping in this recipe, I made some coconut whipped “cream”. It’s SO easy, and SO delicious, and you’ll definitely want to use it for the coconut flavor. It requires a bit of planning: pop a can of coconut milk in the fridge the day before you want to try the recipe.

How to Make Coconut Whipped “Cream”

You will need:

1 can (not lite) coconut milk

Place the can in the fridge overnight. Upon opening the can, you should have a rather thick layer (several inches thick) of solid coconut milk fat (for lack of a better word). Scoop out that solid coconut into a mixing bowl, and beat on high until it develops the consistency of a heavy whipped cream (this doesn’t take long). Use the remaining liquid in the can as part of the coconut milk called for in the recipe below.

Coconut Lime Mousse

1/4 cup raw sugar

1/4 cup corn or tapioca starch

1 1/2 cups So Delicious coconut beverage (you can include the remaining liquid from the canned coconut milk as part of this amount)

juice from 2 small limes (about 1/3 cup)

zest from 2 small limes, divided

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 cup coconut whipped “cream”

Combine sugar and cornstarch in a pot on the stove, gradually stir in the coconut milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, being sure to stir constantly so it doesn’t burn or stick. Once boiling, continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens (this wont’ take long at all, 2 minutes max). Remove from the heat, and stir in the lime juice, half of the zest, and vanilla. Fill a large bowl or pot with ice and/or ice cold water, and set the pot in it. Continue stirring the mixture until it cools down to room temperature, approximately 5 minutes. Gently fold in the coconut whipped cream until blended. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour, longer is better. To serve, scoop into an ice cream cup and top with the remaining lime zest.

As far as fancy recipes go, this is a QUICK one! It’s also perfect for Easter - you can make it on Saturday and refrigerate it until after your Sunday brunch or dinner, so you don’t have to worry about baking or preparing anything on Easter day itself.

Don’t be put off by the “mousse” word: it really is so EASY. Probably the trickiest part is getting the right consistency of the initial milk/sugar/cornstarch mixture, but if you’ve ever made pudding, that should be easy.

It’s not exactly CHEAP; that’s another reason why it’s perfect for a special celebration like Easter! As I mentioned earlier, the limes were reduced in price, so I paid pennies for them, but the coconut milk (both kinds) can be pricey. Even at that, it totals between $3-$5, depending on the prices you have to pay, so it’s not bad, all things considered.

I am pleased with how much more HEALTHY this recipe is than the original. I reduced the sugar by a bit, and eliminated the food coloring, which makes it considerably healthier than it would be otherwise. Also, coconut milk is a very healthy alternative to dairy, and coconut products are popping up everywhere as testament to this fact.

Did I mention that this was DELICIOUS!?

Enjoy, and have a very Happy Easter!

25 Comments Filed Under: Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: coconut, dairy-free

Trying a New Technique: Cooking with “Bricks”

April 18, 2011 By Anne Simpson

Don’t forget to enter your local food post in my Eat Local Eat Fresh carnival! Links will stay open throughout the month, so check back often for new updates!

Not bricks, exactly: I used two large cans of tomato sauce instead, but the finished product was (presumably) the same.

Have you ever heard of cooking with bricks before? I’d read about it here and there, and was curious about it, but never tried it until I came across this recipe in my Woman’s Day magazine. It looked surprisingly simple, as well as delightfully delicious (how’s that for annoying alliteration?!), so I was compelled to give it a try.

I am happy to report that it was both surprisingly simple and delightfully delicious. And if you’re curious, too, may I encourage you to go ahead and give it a try! It truly is so simple that anyone can do it (how do I know that? Because I did it, and if I can do it, anyone can!), and the results are amazing - crispy, juicy, yummy chicken!

You don’t need any special equipment either, not even bricks (although bricks are not exactly “special equipment”, and are cheap to boot!). All you need is a couple heavy canned goods and two large frying pans and you’re good to go.

The above recipe called for 8 cloves of garlic, but that was just a bit too much garlic for my taste, so I cut that amount in half. It also called for sprigs of fresh thyme, instead of the dried thyme I used, and I would have loved to use fresh thyme, but alas, I had none. I can’t wait to plant my herbs in my pots again!

The best part about the whole recipe was smashing the garlic. I had lots of fun using a meat hammer (like this one) to beat those garlic cloves into submission. Alas and alack, the joy was short-lived. It doesn’t take very long to smash garlic.

Brick Chicken with Garlic and Thyme

slightly adapted from Woman’s Day

2 lbs chicken thighs

4 cloves garlic, smashed (skins and all)

1 TBSP dried thyme

1 TBSP olive oil

dash paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, thyme, paprika and sea salt. Add chicken thighs. Top bowl with a lid and shake until all chicken pieces are coated (you can also use a zippered plastic bag). Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, and place chicken in it, skin side down. Pour any remaining oil/garlic mixture over the chicken. Top chicken pieces with another large frying pan, and place 2 bricks or large full cans on top. Cook for 10 minutes, turn the chicken over, and replace the pan and cans. Continue cooking for 5 or 6 minutes more, or until chicken is done.

And this is the gorgeous result!

This is a very QUICK weeknight dinner recipe - dinner ready in half an hour!

For being a “fancy” technique, cooking with “bricks” sure is EASY!

Chicken thighs are CHEAP-er than chicken breasts, and this makes them just as delicious!

If deep-frying chicken scares you because of all that oil and fat (it scares me but only because the oil usually used is vegetable oil, a no-no in my house), try this method for just as delicious but more HEALTHY results. Just a tablespoon of olive oil, and you have a great crispy skin on the chicken that rivals fried chicken in taste and texture.

2 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, On The Table Tagged With: brick chicken, chicken

OAMS: I Spent $139.55… And Look What I Got!!

April 16, 2011 By Anne Simpson

I spent almost $20 more than I intended to on my third trial month of Once A Month Shopping (OAMS), but all that means is I have less to spend each of the 3 remaining weeks this month, so it’s all good. Plus, I was incredibly pleased with all the food I was able to buy with that amount of money! Perhaps you’ll be impressed as I was…

I physically went to 4 stores this weekend, but I also ordered some Bob’s Red Mill Brown Rice Flour from Amazon.com. Amazon has the absolute best price I’ve ever seen on brown rice flour (it fluctuates, but this time around it was $9.40 for a box of 4 24oz. packages, which translates into $2.35 ea.), plus I had a gift card balance from my Swagbucks Rewards, and with the Subscribe & Save 15% discount w/ free shipping, my TOTAL OOP (out of pocket) at Amazon.com was only $1.83.

I had a seriously massively HUUUUUUUUUUUUGEE shopping list this month, and unfortunately, not a lot of the things on my list were on sale anywhere, so I knew what I had to do: go to the Walmart Supercenter. Yeah, I know, some of you hate me now, but hey, it’s cheap! And for me, most of the time that’s the bottom line. Maybe when I am rich and famous I can avoid shopping at WM. But for now… they get my business!

WalMart Supercenter

2 boxes Barilla Plus pasta $3.96

5 lb GM Unbleached All-Purpose Flour $2.48 (This was a mistake. Harris Teeter’s brand was on sale for $1.97, but I had a mental lapse! Hate it when that happens, but at least it was only a matter of $0.50.)

1 64oz bottle Great Value Grape Juice $2.98

2 8pk Apple & Eve Fruitables $1.96

3 cans Thai Kitchen coconut milk $4.26

1 pkg Bob’s Red Mill Sorghum Flour $3.52

1 small container Badia Paprika $1.22

1 16oz bag Great Value Barley $0.92

1 pkg Great Value Whole Wheat Egg Noodles $1.00 (The whole wheat was cheaper than regular. Cool!)

2 lbs Mahatma Brown Rice $1.24

2 lbs Great Value Dry Beans $2.22

1 pkg Great Value Jelly Beans $1.00 (a special Easter treat for the Certain Little Someone)

2 24oz pkgs Sorrento Stringsters $8.24

1 lb Jamestown bacon $2.48

1.88 lbs Green Grapes $1.53

5 4pks Great Value Yogurt $7.70

1 Cantaloupe $1.74

2 64oz Silk Coconut Milk $5.00

TOTAL: $53.77

Trader Joe’s

1 32oz box TJs Rice Milk $1.69

1 16ox container TJs Sun Butter $3.99

1 1lb box Organic Quinoa $3.99

24oz Clover Honey $4.49

1 Black Pepper Grinder $1.99

2 Organic Garlic Bulbs $1.49

1 12oz pkg Dried Cranberries $1.99

1 pkg Pretzel Slims $2.19 (a special treat for my DH because he’s such a good boy)

1 lb Raisins $2.29

1 12oz bag Chocolate Chips $2.29

2 lbs Organic Fuji Apples $2.49

2 lbs Organic Carrots $1.78

1 lb Organic Celery Hearts $2.29

TOT: $33.05

COSTCO

6 lbs Sugar in the Raw $7.75

3 lbs Bananas $1.47

1.5 qts Organic EVOO $9.89

TOT: $19.11

Harris Teeter

1 6oz pkg Frozen Coconut $1.49

3 2.5lb pkgs Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts $9.99

3 lbs Pork Butt $3.72

1 8oz pkg Heluva Good cheese $1.00

5 6oz cans Starkist Chunk Light Tuna $0.50

Reduced Organic Bananas $0.47

1 Pineapple $2.00

1 Mango $0.75

2 Kiwi $0.66

Reduced Limes $0.91

Reduced Chili Peppers $0.23 (These are already chopped and in the freezer.)

TOT: $23.78

In addition to all of this, my mother-in-law found some ground turkey at Giant that she picked up for me, a total of 3 lbs for $5.00.

And one more thing… the Clipper Magazine (do you get those in your area?) has started a new program called “Double Take Deals“, along the lines of Groupon, Living Social, and the like. I find their deals to be more relevant to my life than most of the other more famous local daily deal sites: restaurants, stores and cafes that I actually go to (or would go to with the discount). Right now, in my area, they have a $15.00 voucher worth $30 to a local organic grocery store, David’s Natural Market. Click on this link to see what great deals Double Take Deals might have in your area, and get a $5.00 credit on your second purchase (in the interest of full disclosure, I will also get $5.00 off my next purchase… so click away!). I bought one of those vouchers so I now have $30 to spend at a local organic store that will significantly augment my grocery purchasing power in the next few weeks!

So what do you think? Did I do a good job this round? Do you have any questions for me about this OAMS stuff?

6 Comments Filed Under: In The Budget, Save Much, Spend Wisely Tagged With: frugal grocery shopping, OAMS (Once a Month Shopping)

Have a Cupcake: Birthday Celebration

April 15, 2011 By Anne Simpson

I don’t know about you, but I love local mom and pops. My DH doesn’t understand, but I’d choose a local greasy spoon over the finest cleanest chain any day. If said local greasy spoon comes with some great ambience and a unique idea, well, then! Even better! I’ll tell all my friends, and even perfect strangers, to go check it out.

I’m all about the little guy. Those big chains won’t miss me and my business, but the little mom and pop will. That makes me feel needed and useful, even if all I’m doing is buying a cafe latte from the local roastery.

Or a cupcake from the local bakery.

To wrap up my mother- and sister-in-laws’ birthday celebration, I took them to a local bakery I had just discovered: Touche Touchet. Even though I had only recently discovered this gem, I learned that it is quite famous in its own right. The head cake decorator has won prestigious contests and awards for her cake decorating skills, and was recently featured in a local news article about successful area women chefs, cooks and bakers. The bakery boasts not only her amazing cakes, but cookies, pastries, sandwiches… and, of course, cupcakes!

We each got to pick which cupcake we wanted from their selection, which rotates regularly so you never really know what you will get before you go (but you know it will be delicious!).

I chose the upside down cupcake with the cherry blossom on top, because:

it is cherry blossom time here in the DC area.
is that a cool idea or what?!?!
no other reason, really.

My sister-in-law chose the chocolate raspberry cupcake because she loves chocolate almost as much as I do. It had a delicious raspberry filling in the middle… yum!

My mother-in-law chose a lemon pound cake cupcake. What a great idea, to make a cupcake with pound cake! Hers also had a filling, but hers was, naturally, lemon.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our cupcake selections, practically licking our cupcake wrappers clean. Now we know where to go for a cupcake fix!